Alexandre Bilodeau: Canadian Pride

Alexandre Bilodeau received his Olympic Gold Medal Monday as the Men's Moguls medal ceremony was presented in front of an electrified crowd inside Vancouver's GM Place.

Bilodeau became the first Canadian to win an Olympic Gold Medal on home ground. After the deceptions of Montreal (1976) and Calgary (1988), where the Canadian athletes fell short, the whole country can now celebrate their new Olympic champion.

Canada has a competitive team this year in these Winter Games, and I expect at least a half a dozen more Gold medals before the end of the competition.

But let's go back to the fantastic Men's Moguls final won by Alexandre Bilodeau for a second. The level of competition was impressive as a couple of athletes were able to win it all.

Other Canadians in this final, Vincent Marquis and P.A. Rousseau, finished respectively in fourth and fifth place.

But in the end, Bilodeau's jumps were simply out of this world. The first jump contained two full body rotations while the second jump, a backflip, seemed to never end due to the extreme amplitude.

The reaction of the crowd and the state of joy in yesterday's official medal ceremony testified of the pride of the nation for Bilodeau, whose life has already taken a new spin. He came in those Olympics as a hope and will go out as a hero.

Congratulations, Alexandre, for your fantastic Gold Medal, you made every single Canadian proud with your inspiring victory.